Mumbai: The city police have busted three fake call centres operating from Kurla and Ghatkopar and arrested 12 people for allegedly cheating insurance policyholders by posing as representatives of a private health insurance company. During the operation, police seized cash, gold, and electronic equipment worth more than Rs 17 lakh.The action stemmed from a complaint lodged at Govandi police station on June 22 by a victim who alleged that the fraudsters posing as representatives of a private health insurance company cheated him of over Rs 3.4 lakh. Police said the callers allegedly lured him with the promise of processing a no-claim bonus of Rs 1.5 lakh and, under various pretexts, obtained his credit card details before siphoning off the money.Based on the complaint, Govandi police registered an FIR under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.During the investigation, a cyber team carried out technical analysis and traced the operation to a fake call centre operating from a premises at Kohinoor City Mall in Kurla West. A raid led to the arrest of six accused. Police seized computers, laptops, routers, mobile phones, SIM cards, and call scripts allegedly used to convince customers to disclose their credit card information. Investigators also found that the gang used the stolen credit card details to purchase gold coins and other items online.During questioning, the arrested accused spilled the beans on three more persons who allegedly supplied insurance customer databases and SIM cards used in the fraud. Based on their disclosures, police raided two more fake call centres — one operating from the same shopping complex in Kurla and another in Asalfa village in Ghatkopar — and arrested six more suspects.In all, police arrested 12 accused and seized 29 computers, five laptops, 15 mobile phones, three routers, 15 SIM cards, call scripts, and nearly 28.1gm of gold allegedly purchased using the proceeds of the fraud. The total value of the seized property is estimated at Rs 17.2 lakh.The investigation has revealed that the syndicate targeted insurance policy customers across multiple states using similar tactics. Police said additional arrests are likely as the fraud network seems to be significantly larger.Mumbai Police have appealed to citizens not to share bank account details, card information or OTPs with callers claiming to represent insurance companies offering refunds, policy cancellation or no-claim bonuses. Victims of cyber fraud have been urged to immediately contact the national cybercrime helpline ‘1930’ and report the matter to the nearest police station.
